Chris Harper of Jieke Team.
Luca Vegliato of Alpecin Team.
Pelayo Sánchez of Movistar Team.
And Gijs Leemreize of Team DSM.
This just went to show how truly immense Huang Chong's influence had become.
His single pre-race statement—that he was willing to give up the stage win—had caused a whole host of riders to flock towards the slim chance of a final victory.
However, Huang Chong was well aware of the caliber of the riders in this breakaway group. They weren't particularly formidable.
After all, the true breakaway ace on this Vuelta a España roster, Carapaz—who had just won the Polka Dot Jersey as the King of the Mountains in the Tour de France—hadn't even joined the breakaway.
Only O'Connor stood out. His form this year was explosive, he had previously achieved a strong fourth-place finish in a Grand Tour's general classification, and his ability was more than sufficient. He was undoubtedly the strongest in the group.
